


Fishy, Fishy

by swanqueenfic13



Series: Little Luthor [14]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Baby Animals, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Little bit of angst, Working Mom Struggles, new pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 13:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11899014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: Remember that time a Clexa manip of a text conversation went viral and people thought a husband named Clarke went to the pet store for a fish and came back with a dog? Basically, I took that idea and put a little Supercorp spin on it.Find the manip here:https://www.hypable.com/clarke-the-husband-lexa-fish-the-100/





	1. Chapter 1

“Mommy, she’s licking me!” Lydia squealed happily. Lena had taken the afternoon off from work to start their weekend early since she would be leaving for a business trip next week. She picked up a dirty and tired Lydia from camp, gave her a quick rinse and then met Kara at Alex and Maggie’s house to have a nice family dinner and play with Gertrude, who was quickly growing into those big paws she had.

“Gerty, off!” Alex called sternly, snapping her fingers and pointing to the ground. Gertrude stared at Alex for a moment as if deciding whether to test her patience before dropping her paws from where they were on Lydia’s shoulders and instead licked her hands.

“She’s getting big. How old is she, now?” Lena asked, sipping at her drink as she watched Jamie and Lydia roll around in the grass, playing fetch and wrestling with Gertrude.

“Five months. Maggie thinks she’s going to be tall.”

“Someone should in this family,” Kara said, smirking. Maggie narrowed her eyes.

“Shut it, Danvers. I’m not that short.”

“Yeah, but you’re not that tall, either, babe,” Alex inserted quickly, winking as she said it.

“Fresh!” Maggie chided, swatting at Alex’s thigh. All of the adults are laughing and joking around when suddenly they hear puppy footsteps thundering towards them.

“Mama, Mommy, watch out!” Lydia warned them. A dirt covered puppy runs through them all, knocking over the end table that had their drinks on it before Gertrude stopped, tongue lolling out and shaking herself. Dirt covered all of them and they stood frozen for a moment, staring at each other. Jamie and Lydia looked guilty while their moms all stood with varying amounts of dirt and alcohol on them. Kara broke first, shaking herself off like Gertrude and laughing.

“Well, Gerty never lets us forget she’s the star around here,” Maggie joked.

“I didn’t like those pants anyway,” Lena said, realizing her strawberry flavored drink was spilled all over her white pants.

“Sorry ‘bout your pants, Mommy. Me and Jamie and Gerty were playing chase, but she was too fast for us to catch,” Lydia explained, swaying and clutching her hands behind her back, eyes glued to her shoes.

“It’s okay, little bug. You were just playing. No one got hurt, we’re fine,” Lena said, squeezing Lydia’s shoulder and pulling her in for a slightly sticky hug.

“You can borrow some of my clothes, Lena. I’d offer you Maggie’s, but they’re gonna be too short for you,” Alex said, leading everyone inside to change and get ready for dinner.

“I’m not that small!” Maggie protested.

“Yeah huh, Mama. I’m gonna be taller than you soon,” Jamie boasted. Maggie rolled her eyes playfully as everyone laughed. And despite all of the weirdness and busy schedules in their lives, Lena couldn’t help but feel at peace.

 

“So, you guys finally picked a place. When do you close on it?” Maggie asked over dinner. Lena and Kara beamed at each other.

“The first of September. Which worked out well because my lease on our current place is up on the twentieth of September. We’ve started packing up some of our stuff, but we’ll definitely need some help to move everything in and we wanted to paint a few walls and stuff,” Lena explained as Kara passed around her phone with the listing up to show them pictures of their new townhouse.

“Pick a date and we’ll come in to help paint,” Alex promised.

“Me, too?” Jamie asked, eyes bright.

“Yeah, sure!” Kara said.

“And me!” Lydia yelled excitedly.

“Of course, baby girl. You get to help us pick the colors for your room, remember! And then you get to paint it!” Lena grinned. “We’ll have a painting party one day. And I’ll get pizza and food and drinks. But we have to do it before the sixth because someone’s coming in and  redoing the kitchen floors and the first-floor bathroom.”

“Sounds like a plan. Wow, that’s coming up soon. Can’t believe summer’s almost over,” Maggie said, whistling lowly.

“Don’t remind me,” Jamie whined.

“Not excited to start middle school?” Kara asked.

“She’s a little nervous. But it’ll be fine, Jamie. You’ll make plenty of new friends and you’ll still see your old friends and everything will be _just fine_ ,” Alex reassured her, reaching over to stroke her hair. Jamie just shrugged.

“Are you excited for preschool to start again, Lyd?" Maggie asked, thankfully taking the focus off of Jamie and her anxiety regarding school.

“Yeah! But I’m gonna miss Mama,” Lydia said, pouting slightly.

“I’ll still be there, just not as much. I’m going to be doing some art and science stuff in the mornings, remember? Then afternoons, I’m going to be doing other things. I’ll come pick you up in the afternoons, right?” Kara reminded her gently. In an attempt to make herself more accessible as Supergirl during the school year, Kara reduced her hours at Sunny Start to mornings only and nothing on Fridays. In the afternoons, she would be on call as Supergirl, and J’onn had arranged for her to be on the payroll during this time. Sure, she could just live off of her meager salary from the daycare and Lena’s much more generous one, but Kara wanted to contribute to the household, too. Of course, they were also looking into a nanny for Lydia for weekends and afternoons just in case Kara needed to be called in, but Lydia didn’t quite know about that just yet. They wanted to wait until they had a few nannies who had made it past an interview before having them meet Lydia.

“I know,” Lydia sighed heavily.

“Don’t be sad, kid. I bet your Mama will prepare lots of fun activities. And you’ll like your new teachers and your new friends,” Alex Maggie said softly. “Here, why don’t you have a little bit more chicken and veggies, hmm?”

“I want a potsticker!” Lydia proclaimed. The adults laughed at Lydia picking up on Kara’s obsession with the food and Kara reluctantly put one of her favorite treats on Lydia’s plate. They’re all settling back into their take out, chatting quietly and laughing when they see Gertrude laying under Lydia’s chair, eating all of the crumbs she dropped.

 

“Mama, I want a puppy like Gerty,” Lydia mumbled sleepily that night.

“Oh yeah?” Kara said nervously, wishing Lena wasn’t in their bedroom packing so that she could help her navigate this conversation. “Well, a dog is a lot of responsibility.”

“What’s that mean?” Lydia asked, rubbing her eyes.

“It means you have to take care of the puppy, and that’s a lot of work. You have to feed them and make sure they have water. You have to play with them and love them and take them to the doggy doctor. They need walks a lot, and they have to meet lots of people. You need to train a dog and clean up when it has accidents. There’s a lot you have to do and that can be hard because you’re not just taking care of yourself anymore,” Kara explained carefully.

“I can be ‘sponsible,” Lydia said around a yawn.

“I bet you can, babe. I’ll tell Mommy about our talk, okay? And until then, you can prove you’re responsible for cleaning up your toys without being asked, and putting your dishes in the sink when you’re done eating, hmm?” Kara decided, hoping this would be enough to distract her.

“And then I get a puppy?” Kara suppressed a groan.

“And then we talk to Mommy about being responsible and what our options are. Now, do you want a story for tonight? Or do you just want to keep talking?” Kara teased, thankfully distracting Lydia and reading her a story about a duckling until she fell asleep. After sitting with her for a minute, Kara joined Lena in the bedroom. She sat on the bed, helping Lena wrap up their photographs and other fragile decorations to put them in a box.

“So, Lydia wants a puppy,” Kara announced.

“Lydia does or you do?” Lena snorted.

“We both do,” Kara replied easily. “But she was just telling me how she wanted a puppy like Gerty. So, I told her about how much work a dog is and how she has to be responsible for it and everything. Then, she said she could be responsible,” Kara said. Lena paused in her packing. Hair piled atop her head, thick, black-rimmed glasses perched atop her nose and dressed in workout shorts and a faded gray MIT t-shirt, Lena looked more like a young mother than a CEO or an engineering genius.

“What did you say?”

“I told her I would tell you about our conversation. And that, in the meantime, she could be responsible for picking up her toys and putting away her dirty dishes. I figured that was a good place to start. She seemed to think that was all she had to do to get a puppy, so I told her that you and I would talk about options. And here we are,” Kara said, shrugging. She moved to go sit on the floor next to Lena.

“A puppy is too much right now. We’re moving, school is going to start again, I’m going to be going on business trips, you’re a superhero… We wouldn’t have the time for a puppy, and I don’t want to accidentally end up neglecting it,” Lena sighed. She put the parcel she was holding into the nearest box and rubbed at her temples.

“I know that. But I also know that we could get a dog sitter. Or we could pick a nanny who’s comfortable with animals. Our townhouse has lots of space and access to not only a big park, but also a dog park. I don’t require as much sleep as you, so I could walk a dog in the mornings and wake up early,” Kara pointed out. “But I also think you’re right. A puppy is a lot right now, especially when Lydia is so young. She needs to learn how to care for another living thing first. Something that requires less… energy. Maybe a fish?”

“We could get a fish. Lydia likes fish…” Lena mused, still rubbing her temples. Kara pulled Lena closer, massaging her temples for her. Lena leaned back into her, sighing heavily.

“We’ll get a nice, big tank. She can get some _Finding Dory_ decorations, some cute colored pebbles and little hidey holes for the fish to swim through. She’ll get into a routine and we can teach her how to feed the fish on a regular basis and clean the tank. We could get something pretty like a betta fish. Oh! Or we could get two so that they won’t get lonely,” Kara continued in a soft, soothing voice.

“Can we talk about this when my head isn’t pounding?” Lena said, eyes closing as she breathed deeply.

“Sure. What do you want me to do?” Kara asked.

“Can you just finish this packing or clean it up? I need to go do a little bit of work, signing some contracts and reading over a few proposals before I go to bed. But I want to have a spot to sleep as soon as I’m done.”

“Sure. Or you could just go to bed in a minute when I’m done,” Kara shrugged.

“I can’t or I’ll be so behind. I already took the afternoon off and that set me behind. Please, Kara, can you just clean this up?” Lena practically begged, wrenching herself to her feet.

“Yes, I can. But you know I only want you to take care of yourself.”

“I know, I know. I just… I’ll sleep in tomorrow, I just need to finish these and scan them and send them to the proper offices and then I’ll come to bed, promise,” Lena said tiredly.

“Okay,” Kara whispered, kissing Lena’s forehead. “I’ll wait up.” Lena nodded warmly, making her way out to the dining room where her briefcase was. Kara used her super-speed to finish packing the picture frames and other knick-knacks. She was just getting into bed to wait for Lena and read a book when her phone buzzed the special pattern Kara had set for when she was needed as Supergirl. Checking the text, she sighed and went out to where Lena was.

“Babe, I’ll be back. There’s a huge pileup on the highway and an oil tanker is dangling over the edge of an overpass. I’m gonna go help them until they have it under control. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Kara explained apologetically.

“Go save the world, Supergirl. I’ll be waiting up for you,” Lena chuckled, a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water next to her indicating her headache was beginning to recede. Kara kissed her quickly but passionately, holding her cheeks with open hands before pulling away. She pressed one last, gentle kiss to Lena’s lips before hurrying back into the bedroom to change and put on her mask. She reappeared next to Lena in full Supergirl regalia with a roguish grin. She kissed her cheek.

“Up, up, and away,” she whispered before running to the dining room balcony and taking off towards the sounds of sirens. Lena just shook her head and chuckled. And she tried her best to stay up for Kara, doing more work than she needed to get through just to keep herself distracted. But by the time Kara came sweeping in, smelling of oil, gasoline, sweat, blood, and smoke, Lena was asleep at the table, glasses askew and head on her (thankfully closed) tablet. Kara just smiled, kissing her head as she moved Lena to the bed, quickly showering before joining her.

 

Over the next week, they chipped away at packing while simultaneously getting Lydia ready for the start of school the following week and getting Lena ready for her four-day whirlwind tour of North American L-Corp facilities. She would be flying on the L-Corp jet between each location, never resting in any one place for too long, sleeping in the jet when necessary. Lena had to go and do checks and give speeches at the plant in Smallville, the facility in Metropolis, the warehouse in Seattle, the lab in Washington D.C., the facility in Denver, the lab in Minneapolis and the testing facility in New Orleans. Due to arrive back the evening before preschool started up again, Lena knew she would be exhausted after this trip and was going to take the day off while Lydia was at school to catch up on sleep.

Finally, the day of her departure arrived.

“Mommy, do you have to go?” Lydia whined pitifully, sniffling and rubbing her nose. They were standing in a VIP lounge at the airport that led directly to the tarmac where the L-Corp jet was waiting. Her bag had already been loaded along with her carry-on and garment bags brought into the plane’s cabin for easy access. Lena was wearing a black blazer with a matching black pencil skirt and a green blouse, hair and makeup perfect and ready for her first stop in D.C. Lydia was clinging to her and hugging her with arms around her neck. One hand supported under Lydia’s bottom and the other was rubbing circles on her back.

“Oh, my sweet little girl. I do have to go, but I’ll be back in four sleeps, remember? I’ll be back before you even go to school, promise,” Lena whispered reassuringly.

“And we can have pancakes for breakfast before school?” Lydia sniffled.

“And we will have pancakes for breakfast, this year. I promise I will do my best to wake up on time,” Lena said, hugging her daughter tight. “I will call you whenever I can, and I will FaceTime every night that I can before bed, okay? You’ll spend lots of time with Mama and Auntie Alex and Tia Maggie and Jamie. And you’re going to go to the pet store and look at the fishies and start to get stuff ready, right?”

“We can get a Dory tank!” Lydia pulled away slightly so she could beam at her mother.

“We can! But if you’re going to go on that special errand with Mama, you have to let me go on my trip, right? And when I get back, you can show me the fish you got.”

“We’re gonna pick out the prettiest fish, Lyd,” Kara whispered encouragingly. “And Mommy will love it! So give her one more big hug!” Lydia obeyed, wrapping her arms tight around her Mommy and Lena just held her tighter, swaying slightly as she hugged her and trying her damnedest not to cry.

“I love you, Lydia. I’ll be back, I promise,” she whispered, kissing the side of her head.

“Love you, Mommy,” Lydia said softly, sniffling again. She turned her head to kiss Lena’s cheek before allowing Alex- who had driven them all there and was going to their apartment to help Kara pack- to hold her while Kara said her own kind of goodbye.

“She’ll be fine,” Kara promised her, tucking a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear before pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

“I’ve never left her alone for more than a few hours,” Lena admitted. “I never had reason to.”

“We’ll take good care of her, and you’ll talk to her as often as you can. And if you really miss her, I can talk Supergirl into bringing Lydia for a visit.” Lena laughed at this, biting the inside of her cheek to try and silence the following sob. She was only partially successful. “Hey, hey now. I’ll take care of her, and we’ll see you soon. They’ll keep you so busy you won’t even have time to miss us.”

“Impossible,” Lena murmured into Kara’s shoulder. When Kara pulled back, Lena kissed her fiercely, holding her tight and trying to pour all of her apprehension and passion and trust and love into the gesture. When they both need air, they pulled away but Lena held her close, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you, and I’ll see you in four sleeps.”

“Four sleeps. Love you, too,” Kara hummed in response. Kara kissed Lena again, softer this time, gentler. Then she pulled away and grabbed Lydia, putting her on the ground so that she could hug her mom again.

“Oh, I love you so much, munchkin. I’ll see you in four sleeps,” Lena said, squatting down carefully to hug Lydia.

“Four sleeps,” Lydia repeated. She allowed Kara to pull her off and Lena picked herself up, chin wobbling as she went towards the tarmac, only stopping to say goodbye to Alex, who pulled her into yet another tight hug.

“See you soon, kid,” she whispered. Lena nodded, turning to wave goodbye one more time before walking out the door, across the tarmac, and onto the jet. She waited until she was alone in the plane cabin, seat belt fastened and plane taxiing before she let her tears fall silently, watching her family get further and further away.

 

“I miss her,” Lydia sniffled pitifully, thumb in her mouth and head resting on Kara’s shoulder, having moved from Alex’s hip to Kara’s as they watched the plane taxi and take off before heading to the parking lot.

“Me too, bug. But you and me, we’re going to have a good time, right? And we’ll talk to her whenever we can, and she’ll come home in just four sleeps,” Kara reminded her, careful to keep her voice happy and bright.

“Yeah,” Lydia whimpered.

“Hey, Lyd, have you picked out a color for your bedroom in the new house yet?” Alex asked, trying to distract her on the long walk to the car. It worked and Lydia poked her head up, shaking her head. “Well, you have to think about it! Because your family is going to go to the paint store soon, and you want to make sure you pick a color that you wanna see every morning when you wake up. So… What’s your favorite color, miss Luthor?” Alex asked, speaking animatedly.

“Purple. And green. And pink. I like all the colors! How can I pick?” Lydia huffed. Her tears had stopped for the moment and her thumb was no longer in her mouth. Her brow was puckered in consternation as she tried to figure out which color to pick.

“Just come up with some ideas. And when you go to the paint store, they show you lots of different shades of the same color. Like you could pick a really dark purple, or a light purple, or a light green or a dark pink. And I’m sure Mama and Mommy will help you if you really get stuck,” Alex explained. Lydia squirmed to be put down and held both her aunt’s and mom’s hand, swinging both as they walked.

“Can we go play with Gerty? Mama said I can get a puppy once I prove I’m ‘sponsible. So I gotta practice with Gerty.”

“I said we can _talk_ about you getting a puppy,” Kara clarified at Alex’s raised eyebrows. “But tomorrow, we’re going to get a fish.”

“Ooh, a _fish_ ," Alex said. And just like that, they managed to keep Lydia occupied and distract her from the fact that her Mommy was flying further and further away.

 

“Alright, kid, we’re on a mission. We go straight to the fish section, got it? We’ll look at the fish first so you can pick one out. Then we’ll talk to someone who works at the store to make sure we get the right kind of stuff for the fish.” Lydia nodded as she listened, rubbing her eyes with her fists. Her braids were crooked and her shorts had grass stains from their trip to the park this morning, but Kara was too exhausted to try and get her to change. Last night had been a nightmare trying to get Lydia to sleep. Lena had tried to FaceTime but she only had half an hour before she had to get back on the plane to go from Seattle to Denver and Lydia had sobbed when Lena had hung up. Kara finally got her to fall asleep over an hour past her bedtime, but Lydia woke up at two in the morning and couldn’t fall asleep for another hour and a half. Both girls were exhausted, but Kara had promised they would get her a fish today, so here they were at the nearest pet superstore.

“Can I get a pink fish? Or maybe a yellow fish!” Lydia giggled.

“We’ll see what they have, bug. Now, come on, let’s go grab a cart and head inside. And remember, hold my hand or stay where I can see you. Understand?”

“Yes, Mama,” Lydia confirmed. While crossing the parking lot, Kara kept a tight grip on Lydia’s hand, eyes and ears tuned in for any signs of incoming danger. But there was nothing. They grabbed the cart and Lydia wrapped her fingers around the side of the blue cart to keep close to her Mama while they walked in. Kara was so focused on listening for danger outside the store that she totally missed the waiting disaster inside the store.

 

Today had been a day from hell for Lena. She had spent last night on the plane before arriving in Colorado, only managing to get about three hours of sleep in her hotel room before she went out early in the morning to tour the facility, give a mid-morning speech to the employees and benefactors and shareholders, then have lunch with some of the local shareholders before getting on the plane and travelling to Minneapolis to do it all over again. She was exhausted and drained by the time she got on the plane for the evening at close to midnight. And they weren’t even close to taking off yet. It was too late to FaceTime with Lydia, but she could at least text Kara quickly before falling asleep on the plane.

Since her phone had been off all day, the first thing she got when turning it back on was a text notification from Kara. Opening it, she read, **_hey, babe, please don’t be mad. I did a thing._ ** Perplexed, Lena sent a reply.

 **_What did you do?_ ** She wasn’t sure if she expected a reply since Kara had first texted her hours ago and she got distracted reading emails. But Kara texted back, only about fifteen minutes later.

 **_So… you know how I was supposed to take Lydia to the pet store to get a fish today?_ ** Lena can practically hear Kara’s whining high pitch, can almost see her pouting and batting her eyelashes.

 **_Yes…_ ** Lena sends the text, getting a terrible feeling in her gut. **_Did you forget to go? Did something bad happen?_ ** The three dots pop up and disappear. Then reappear. Then disappear. This happens a few more times before Lena finally gets an answer, and by this point, she’s so worried that she almost bit her bottom lip.

 **_Nothing bad happened. And we went…_ ** Okay, now Lena felt a little better. But she was still unsettled. Why was Kara being so cryptic? A thought suddenly occurred to her. She  _wouldn’t_.

 **_I swear, if you come home with anything other than an aquatic animal, I’m going to kill you._ ** Lena waits for a reply when she sees a picture come through.

Attached were the words:  _ **we**_ ** _named him Fish…_ **

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/24kphoto/5829817909/in/photolist-9TakKT-aV9h6R-8ysgka-99X137-6MpurF-7Hm5ng-5VjcGo-ayNVuG-7MuurA-5D2rmB-bW8Z9F-gh9SYY-69ycfp-8ar31o-76ecZn-KYWf3-84o5mc-dPvJv7-g4DCb8-6oW4vh-cdjdAW-pQedWD-UZD5Dc-Dtm3ez-SE4X1c-6wKC5Y-Rqbc3t-77HZLi-Rq7Euv-UrJwi5-4jXNDL-2ZXpZy-9innq3-dB96GE-qvY3zX-pX1ihW-8mj92e-nM6dzA-34r9fd-bAkzTU-bAkA2q-99Txig-9QKCJ6-apaDQB-898AYK-6iHeVg-4C8fEp-bv9Aej-cpXUbf-eHgSKU)

Before she can even think it through, Lena is dialing Kara’s phone. She picks up on the second ring.

“You didn’t,” she deadpanned.

 _“You weren’t there! It was an emergency. I had to,”_ Kara said defensively. Lena inhaled deeply, trying to gather her racing thoughts but only managing partially before her rant began.

“You were supposed to get a _fish_. Not a _dog_. We don’t have time for a dog! Lydia is too little, she isn’t responsible enough! I run a company, and you have two jobs, both of which are important, and one of which is extremely dangerous and can be time-consuming! School is starting up again, we’re closing on a home in a week and moving in less than three weeks. And you decided this is the perfect time to get a _dog?_ And now, I’m going to be the bad guy who tells Lydia that the dog can’t stay, right? I can’t _believe_ this, Kara. Really? While I’m away? What on God’s green Earth possessed you to get a _dog?_ ” Lydia rambled, a mixture of pissed and anxious.

_“It was a matter of life and death!”_

“I’m sure it was,” Lena snorted derisively.

 _“Lena!”_ Kara snapped. Lena bit her tongue, not wanting to push Kara too far. _“Can I at least explain? We went to the pet store to get the fish. But when we got there, there was an adoption event going on. Apparently, the state defunded some of the animal shelters including one of the National City ones. They had to get rid of all of their animals before today because the remaining shelter couldn’t take in more animals. I ended up talking to the person running it and they said it was going well, except for this one dog. His owners had surrendered him because he had too much energy and didn’t get along well with their cat. Plus, he had a habit of nipping at people when he wanted to play. So they were having trouble getting someone to adopt him. But this was their last day to find him a home or else they were going to put him down. And then Lydia overheard and asked what that meant so the person explained it to her and she started to cry and say we couldn’t let the dog die and she was giving me puppy eyes and so was the dog and I couldn’t let an animal die just because the state wouldn’t fund the shelters! So… it just kind of… Happened. I’m really sorry, Lena. I didn’t mean to try and make you the bad guy, I just… I wanted to save him,”_ Kara explained. Lena paused a moment.

“I just… Let me process for a minute. I’m just thinking, not stewing or getting mad,” Lena said softly.

 _“Take the time you need,”_ Kara said. Then, more muffled, she added, “ _F_ _ish, no! Go back to bed.”_ And Lena tried to stifle a chuckle. Because she should be mad; Kara adopted a dog without her input, had done it while she was away. And their situation wasn’t exactly stable yet since they were in the process of moving. But Lena couldn’t fault Kara’s instincts for trying to save an animal from a cruel fate when she could do something about it.

“I’m worried that we’re not a good home for this dog. I have long work days and you have an unpredictable schedule what with your super hijinks. Lydia certainly can’t take care of a dog by herself, and we’re moving houses. Aren’t those kinds of things stressful for dogs?”

_“Well, ye-yeah. I guess they are. But I didn’t really think it through. I just figured- I guess it was better than dying, right?”_

“Well, yes. I suppose so. But you’re right, Kara. You didn’t think it through. We’re a family, and neither you nor I can make unilateral decisions that affect all of us. And a dog isn’t like picking out a couch without me or deciding what to get for dinner. This dog will be with us for the next decade, probably. It’s a big commitment,” Lena pointed out.

 _“I… I really am sorry,”_ Kara said softly. And Lena could hear from the wobble in her voice just how distraught Kara was getting.

“I know you are. And I’m not trying to upset you. I just… Am I a little annoyed? Yes, I’ll be honest. Do I still love you? Absolutely. When I get back from this trip, you and I are going to sit and figure all of this out. I just… I don’t want us to be so busy that we accidentally neglect this dog or give him some kind of anxiety disorder.”

“ _We won’t. We’ll figure it out,”_ Kara promised. Lena wanted to say _I hope so_ , but worried that might upset Kara again. She stifled a yawn.

“I love you,” she said instead.

_“And I’m keeping you from resting, aren’t I? You have another long day tomorrow and you should get some sleep while you can. I’ll still be here in the morning. And so will Fish.”_

“We are not calling that dog ‘Fish’,” Lena snorted.

 _“He responds to it, though. And he always wags his tail when he hears it. Don’t you, Fish? What a good boy,_ ” Kara cooed. Lena just rolled her eyes, failing to stifle her next yawn. _“Okay, okay. I’ve kept you long enough. I love you, and I will see you tomorrow. You’re gonna kick ass tomorrow, then when you get home from this trip, you can spend the next week laying around in bed with Fish and resting. Love you, see you soon.”_ Lena chuckled.

“Love you, too. Goodnight.”

 _“Night_.” Both just sat there for a moment before ending the call, content to sit for a moment and listen to the other breathe. Lena made herself comfortable on the couch, buckling herself in as safely as she could before closing her eyes and trying to fall asleep.

The last thing she remembered thinking before she fell asleep was  _holy fuck, I have a dog. And his name is Fish._ She’s pretty sure she fell asleep smiling.

 

**_Earlier that day…_ **

As soon as they stepped through the door, Kara regretted picking this pet store without reading their website more carefully. Because they were having an _a_ _doption fair._ With cats and dogs in little kennels and pens, wiggling excitedly. There was a plastic folding table set up in front of the cages, a plastic tablecloth and paperwork spread over it. Balloons adorned either side of the table and two people stood behind the table, whispering to each other.

“Mama, can we go look at the kitties and puppies? Please, just to look, I promise!” Lydia whispered, tugging insistently on Kara’s hand.

“I… guess,” Kara said hesitantly, letting Lydia lead her over.

“Hi, there!” One of the people said. “I’m Maria, who are you?” she asked brightly, looking at Lydia.

“I’m Lydia. Can I pet the aminals?” she asked.

“If it’s okay with your mom, sure. But most of these animals already have homes to go to. Their families are just shopping right now, so they’re staying here. You can say hi, though,” Maria explained.

“Go on,” Kara encouraged. Lydia giggled and followed Maria towards the kennels, leaning down to let the dogs sniff and lick her fingers. The other man behind the table smiled kindly at Kara.

“You looking to adopt?” he asked.

“No, not quite. We are here to get a pet fish,” Kara laughed.

“I get it. Much less work for a kid. Good starter pets.” Kara hummed in agreement.

“So, is this a regular thing? You bring animals here to get adopted?”

“No, actually, it’s only been the past month. The city defunded the animal control department which means we had to shut down two of the three animal shelters. We had to try and adopt as many animals as we could since the only shelter left isn’t big enough to take in all the animals. We even pawned a few of them off on the ASPCA, but we’ve been having these adoption fairs to try and get some of them adopted,” he explained.

“How have you been doing?” Kara slowly starts to walk by the cages with cats and kittens in them. Each cage had a little sign proclaiming the animal’s name, a picture and a description of their disposition and situation. Each also had a little blue piece of paper taped over their descriptions proclaiming the words ‘I’m Adopted!’

“We’re doing really well. This is our last batch of unadopted animals, and almost all of them now have homes,” he explained, following Kara slowly.

“How many don’t?” They had circled around to a pen full of dogs and puppies. Some were separated into their own kennels, but some were roaming around playing. Lydia was sat in the middle of the playpen, surrounded by dogs licking her and playing with her. Her giggles were infectious and Kara had to smile at the scene, taking a video to show Lena later.

“Just one. He’s over here. Dog M11702. We try not to give them names so that their adoptive families can give them their own name,” he explained.

“He’s so cute! Why doesn’t this good looking boy have a home,” Kara cooed, squatting down to put her fingers in the cage. The dog eagerly licked at them, teeth nipping slightly but Kara didn’t feel it.

“He had a home, but his owners had to surrender him. He had too much energy for them and they didn’t have the time to play. And when he got restless, he would nip at them and they had two young kids and a baby. We can’t find anyone who will take him because of that, which is a shame because tomorrow is our deadline.” The boy squatted next to Kara, smiling sadly at the little dog, a German Shepherd mix, according to the tag.

“What happens if you don’t find him a home?” Kara asked, nervous about the answer.

“Well, unfortunately, we’re going to have to put him down.”

“Oh, no!” she gasped.

“Mama, what’s that mean?” Lydia asked, startling both the adults. Kara looked over to find Kara, covered in drool and animal hair, smiling wildly. “Put him down where?”

“Well… sweetheart… it means that they’re going to…” Kara trailed off, unsure of how to do this.

“Sweetheart, sometimes when animals are really sick or something, it can be nicer to make sure they won’t feel any pain. Or if an animal doesn’t have a home, we do that. Do you know what it means when someone dies?” Maria said softly.

“Uh-huh,” Lydia nodded. “Mommy said it’s when people aren’t living no more and they go to Heaven. Like my Daddy.”

“That’s right, sweet girl. When we put dogs down, they go to Heaven,” she continued gently.

“The dog’s gonna die?” Lydia shrieked, tears filling her eyes. “Is he sick?”

“No, baby girl, they just don’t have anywhere for him to go and they don’t want him to live on the street,” Kara whispered, pulling Lydia closer to her to give her a hug.

“Mama, I don’t want the dog to die! Can we take him? Please, please? I don’t want the doggy to die, Mama, _please_. I’ll be ‘sponsible for him! I’ll walk him and feed him and clean up after him and everything! Please, Mama, don’t let the doggy die!” Lydia whimpered, clutching at her Mama’s arms.

“Lyd, babe, we told Mommy we were coming here to get a fish. She won’t be happy if we come back with a puppy. Puppies are a lot of work, like babies. And you know Mommy and I are both busy,” Kara whispered. The adoption fair workers backed up a bit to give them privacy. “And we’re moving houses soon and that can make dogs upset.”

“ I can help with the puppy so you don’t gotta, and please, Mama. Please, please, please,” she pleaded. Lydia pulled back from Kara’s hug to pout at her and use what Mommy called her ‘puppy eyes’. She was still crying a little bit so her eyes were wet and wide and shining and so, so green. Kara tried to look away, but God, she was so whipped for this kid and she hated to see her so sad.

“I… Lyd… We said we were getting a _fish_ ,” Kara repeated, resolve beginning to waver. How mad could Lena be if they were saving a life?

“We could call him Fish!” Lydia suggested lower lip wobbling. “Please, don’t let Fish die. Don’t let my doggy die.” Well, fuck. How could she counter that? Letting out a string of whispered Kryptonese expletives, Kara caved.

“Ah, Lyd… Fine. Put that lip away, we’ll get the dog. But you have to help out with him! I mean it, Lyd. A dog is a lot of work and we have to be able to take care of him,” Kara said sternly. Lydia was already giggling and hugging Kara tight.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squealed. Kara filled out the paperwork and took the dog- Fish, apparently- around the pet store, picking out a slew of dog supplies, including two new leashes, collars, a blue bone-shaped dog tag, rope toys, squeaky toys, dog beds, shampoo, food, bowls, flea collars, treats, a crate and several gates. It was only by the grace of Kara’s super strength, the extra-large carts at this store, Lydia’s determination to be a good helper, and two trips to the car to get everything in it. And then Kara and Lydia were on their way home. With a puppy. Named Fish.

Lena was going to kill her.


	2. Bonus: Lena Meets Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just got this image of Lena meeting Fish when she came home.

It was late when Lena got home, almost three hours later than originally planned. Actually, it was so late that she was early for the day; her alarm for the day was set to go off in an hour. Her plane home had been delayed by a storm and when she finally got home, Kara was asleep and so was Lydia. Boxes were stacked in the living room, full of things they wouldn’t need during the move. Lena was just going to drop her suitcase and head straight to bed but froze when she was accosted by a little ball of energy and a wagging tail.

“Oh, shoot, kinda forgot about you,” Lena whispered. “Shhh, shhh,” she continued when the dog started prancing in place, tongue lolling out and ears perked up. The dog’s toenails were clicking on the hardwood floor and Lena didn’t want to wake anyone. “Quiet, dog. Shh, stop, what do you want? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Are you thirsty? Why are you doing this?” Lena’s whispers grew more frantic as the dog began to bark excitedly.

“Fish, shhh, it's sleeping time,” Kara groaned as she stumbled out of their bedroom dressed in one of Lena’s t-shirts and an old pair of gym shorts. She was rubbing her eyes sleepily, hair a mess from the pillow. “Oh, Lena! Hi, you’re back! This is… um, this is Fish. Fish, this is Lena, your other mom.”

“I am?” Lena raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah! See, he’s really been a good dog. He just seems to think that this is an acceptable time to start the day. He’ll be fine once we get back to bed. Fish usually gets the hint, don’t you boy? Yeah! Yeah, you do!” Lena couldn’t help but soften at the baby talk Kara used with this dog. And yeah, he was kind of sweet looking with his dopey ears and his big smile and the paws that looked too big for his body.

“How cute,” she grinned, leaning down to scratch the dog behind the ears. “Let’s go back to bed before it’s time for me to wake up.”

“Only if you promise to tell me all about your trip tomorrow. And you promise to rest today and not work,” Kara said, putting her arm around Lena’s waist, leading her into the bedroom. Lena hummed, closing her eyes and wiggling out of her skirt. She was down to just her underwear, about to slip into a t-shirt when she watched the dog hop up onto their bed and curl up on  _ her side _ .

“Oh no. Oh no, this is not how it’s going to work,” Lena said loudly, dropping the shirt. “The dog does not sleep on the bed. And he certainly doesn’t sleep on  _ my side _ !”

“Lena, Lee, babe, maybe don’t yell so loud? You might wake Lydia up. Or, if you’re going to continue yelling, maybe put a shirt on in case she does come in?” Kara suggested at a whisper, sitting on the bed. Immediately, the dog curled into her as if he had been doing it forever. Which, apparently, he had. Glaring at them, Lena pulled her shirt on before going to stand next to the bed.

“He needs to move. I want to lie down before I have to get up,” she whispered sternly, pointing at the dog.

“Fish is a very good listener. Try getting him to move. He needs to learn to obey you, too.” Lena huffed and resisted the urge to scream by rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand.

“Fine. Um, dog, move.” Lena snapped at him then pointed to the floor. The dog didn’t move. “Come on, boy. Just go sleep on the floor, right here. Or next to Kara, you can do that. But not in my spot,” Lena tried again. Maybe negotiating would work? The dog didn’t move. She tugged on his royal blue collar gently, pleading now.

“Have you tried calling him by his name?” Kara chuckled. Lena shot her a dark look. “What? You call him ‘boy’, ‘dog’, or ‘him’, but never his name! I meant it when I said he really responds to Fish. Just try it and if he still doesn’t move, I will pick him up and keep him off the bed so you can be comfy this morning,” Kara promised. Lena inhaled deeply. 

“Fish, get off the bed,” Lena said sternly, pointing to the ground. Immediately, he jumped off the bed and curled up on the hardwood floor. Lena’s cheeks colored as she got into the bed, crossing her arms. “It’s still a foolish name. No one names their pet after another animal,” Lena said hotly. Kara suppressed a chuckle. “ _ Don’t _ laugh at me.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, babe. It’s just funny. And it may be a stupid name, but it’s  _ his _ stupid name. He likes it! And he answers to it.” Kara gently pulled Lena until she was being spooned by Kara, the stress of her trip beginning to melt away. Lena huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Fine. But I mean it: Fish is not going to sleep on the bed. And don’t let me sleep past my alarm. I have to make the pancakes for Lydia’s first day of school.”

 

When Lena woke to her alarm an hour later- Kara had left a note citing a Supergirl emergency for her absence and promising to be back before they had to drop Lydia off- and found Fish curled up in Kara’s spot. When he noticed she was awake, his tail thumped on the bed and he wiggled closer to her until they were nose to nose. Lena hesitated a moment until Fish’s tongue poked out and he licked her cheek. She smiled.

“Fine, five more minutes. But don’t tell Kara,” she whispered. Fish just thumped his tail and lolled out her tongue, giving Lena a dopey smile. When Lydia went into the room a few minutes later, Lena and Fish were still snuggled up together, snoozing softly.


End file.
